Israeli soldiers close West Bank TV station

Reporters Without Borders calls for the reopening of Afaq TV, a Palestinian commercial TV station based in the West Bank city of Nablus which Israeli soldiers yesterday closed for one year on the grounds that it was a “terrorist” media. The station has stopped broadcasting and seals have been place over its entrance. “Palestinian journalists must be allowed to enjoy the same freedom and ability to work as their Israeli counterparts,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Israel's arbitrary measures against media in the Palestinian Territories are unacceptable and unworthy of a democracy. The military must put a stop to this policy of censoring Palestinian media.” Israel Defence Forces personnel placed seals over the entrance to Afaq TV and announced that it was being closed for a year for being “a terrorist organisation media” after carrying out a raid yesterday and seizing equipment and files. Afaq TV director Issa Abu el Izz told Reporters Without Borders he was outraged. “We are an independent media and, regardless of what the Israeli military says, we have never given our allegiance to any political movement, whether Hamas or any other,” he said. Izz has two weeks to file an appeal to the Israeli authorities. Israeli soldiers previously carried out a raid on Afaq TV's headquarters in Nablus last December, searching the premises and seizing broadcast equipment, thereby forcing it off the air. The station had not been able to resume broadcasting until 1 March. A commercial station, Afaq TV has been broadcasting in the Palestinian Territories for 13 years.